


best bros forever

by ghoulizard



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Accidental Relationship, Fluff, I mean really, M/M, Self-Indulgent, this is all fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-18 21:05:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18126485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghoulizard/pseuds/ghoulizard
Summary: “You call him ridiculously outdated pet names, you cuddle with him every movie night, and you physically light up every times he enters a room. The whole ordeal is disgustingly romantic, and that’s only what you do around us, not in private. Haven’t you noticed that you’re practically dating?”///(a totally self indulgent fic in which clint and bucky are fucking idiots who deserve each other)





	best bros forever

**Author's Note:**

> for each time bucky or clint refers to tony as an asshole i send a million positive vibes back to him because i love tony stark more than anything (no matter what i write)

The first time Bucky came around to the tower, he was understandably intimidated. Clint first saw him while hanging out in the rafters, and was shocked when the assassin looked up at him pointedly when he entered the large shared living space on the third floor. All the other avengers (minus Thor, who wasn’t even on the planet at the time) were gathered in the room, but none of them had noticed Clint yet.

Steve was awkwardly trying his best to introduce everybody to his long lost best friend turned brainwashed assassin, and said best friend was looking incredibly uncomfortable.

“-and this is Tony, Mr. Stark’s son. If you thought the only Stark was smart, this one is ten times that.” Steve praised, smiling shyly at Tony, who returned the expression. They were both blushing lightly, and Clint rolled his eyes at them. Bucky looked up, making eye contact with him and rolling his eyes as well. It was so much like Bucky was an actor on The Office looking into the camera that Clint burst out laughing.

Everyone (save Bucky) looked up at him in startled surprise, and Clint dropped down from his perch. Shit, he was even more attractive up close. “Hey, I’m Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, a.k.a. the greatest sharpshooter known to man,” he held out his fist for a fist bump, which Bucky returned, smirking.

“Greatest sharpshooter? I think you mean second greatest.”

Clint gasped dramatically. “Is that a challenge I hear? You’re on, Barnes.”

Bucky laughed, “Right back at ya, Barton. I look forward to taking you down.”

“Hah!” Clint scoffed, “In your dreams old man!” 

They both grinned at each other when Tony interrupted, “What the  _ everloving fuck _ just happened?”

//

“Alright, I’ll bite.” said Stark (the new one), leaning against the kitchen counter and shoving some toast into his mouth. “Why are you holding a cup of coffee out in the air like a lunatic?” He asked around a full mouth, giving Bucky a wonderful view of his partially eaten breakfast.   
  
Wrinkling his nose, Bucky shook his head and replied, “Give him a second.”   
  
“Give who a se-“   
  
He was interrupted by Clint as he swung down from a vent in the ceiling to land gracefully on a barstool (an admittedly impressive feat) and grab the coffee mug Bucky had already prepared for him and was holding out. Letting go of the mug, he smirked at Stark. “See?”   
  
“Okay, how the fuck did you know he was up there?” asked Stark, looking between the two with a mixture of awe and frustration.   
  
Bucky shrugged. “He’s only had one coffee this morning,” he said simply, taking a sip from his own drink and watching with amusement as the genius flailed his limbs exasperatedly and stalked off, grumbling about an ‘assassin club for assholes who drink all his coffee’.   
  
Turning to smile at Clint, who was still nursing his black coffee while curled on top of the stool, Bucky couldn’t keep the fondness out of his voice as he said, “Ya know, you can always come through the door, right? You just ‘bout scared Stark to an early grave.”   
  
“S’not m’fault you’re the only one who pays ‘tention,” Clint slurred from behind his drink, clearly still half asleep.   
  
Bucky decided not to read too much into that one.   
  
//

Friday movie nights were mandatory for all Avengers, as part of one of Steve’s lame team building campaigns. Ugh. Bucky didn’t even know why he had to come. It’s not like he was even really part of the team anyways, and he’s fairly certain that it wasn’t considered bonding for him to just sit there being all “murder-y” in the corner (Clint’s words, not his). It was a true testament to his capability of enduring Steve’s bullshit that he came at all, murder-y or not.   
  
He might also have enjoyed spending a little extra time with Banner (who was surprisingly good company), Natalia of course, and even Thor, when he was on earth. Oh yeah, and Clint obviously, but it’s not like they didn’t hang out constantly anyways.   
  
It was Thor’s turn to pick a movie, and he chose yet another movie about puppy superheroes. This was either the fifth or sixth one in a row, and Bucky could sense that even Banner was starting to get tired of watching the God of Thunder cry over animated dogs.   
  
“Sorry I’m late, so sorry, lost track of time.” Clint stumbled into the movie room, coffee stained shirt askew and pyjamas riding low on his waist. A few new bandaids could be seen on his arms, with one bright Captain America themed one stuck to his jaw. His hair was a train wreck, tufts sticking up at angles that shouldn’t even be possible, and he was wearing his old bright purple hearing aids, a sure sign that he hadn’t had time to find the new StarkTech ones Tony had designed with him in mind. The whole scene was... kind of endearing.   
  
“Clint Barton, you are a disaster. Find a seat.” Natalia stated, clearly trying to keep the amusement out of her voice, to no avail.   
  
Clint just stuck his tongue out at her, hitched up his pants and performing a quick scan of the room before plopping down with Bucky in the recliner with the best view of all possible exits. The size of the chair made it so Clint was practically sitting in Bucky’s lap, but hey, he wasn’t complaining.   
  
He withstood about ten more seconds of Clint’s squirming to get comfortable before using the strength of his metal arm to pull the archer into his lap fully, wrapping both his arms around his waist to keep him there. “Sit still, fucker.” He growled.   
  
Clint relaxed in his hold, leading his head  back against Bucky’s shoulder and smiling up at him. “Thanks Buck-o, I knew you were my favourite for a reason.”   
  
Chuckling at the blond’s antics, Bucky turned his attention back to the screen, all the while rubbing slow circles with his hands on the exposed skin at Clint’s waist.   
  
“What the fuck. You’ve gotta be kidding me, is nobody else seeing this?!”   
  
The archer in his lap startled at the loud disruption, and Bucky turned to glare at the source of the noise. “Woah, calm down Frosty,” Tony said, a little nervously (not many people have been on the receiving end of Bucky’s glare and have lived to tell about it).   
  
Natalia glanced up at Stark as well, “What are we supposed to be seeing, again?”   
  
“The- they- Nat, they’re cuddling!” The genius spluttered. “The Winter Soldier is  _ cuddling _ , and cuddling  _ Barton _ of all people!”   
  
“Hey, he’s Bucky, not the Soldier,” Steve piped up, seeming all too amused at the conversation nonetheless.   


“The hell is wrong with Barton?” Bucky asked, affronted.

“We’re bros Tony, fuck you.” Was Clint’s addition to the discussion, not seeming to care about whatever Stark was insinuating.

Suddenly a huge bolt of lightning lit up the room from outside, and everyone turned to see Thor pointing to the T.V. in frustration. “Friends, it is movie night and I wish to hear the tales of the mighty warrior pups.”   
  
“Okay, alright, chill out Sparky, we’ll watch the movie.” Said Tony, flicking off the lights and settling in beside Steve, who immediately draped an arm over his shoulders and stole some of his popcorn. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that Bucky’s super-hearing picked up on a whispered, ‘so fucking bizarre’.   
  
He didn’t bother with it though, as he was far too busy whispering his own comments on the movie to Clint, heart fluttering every time something he said earned him a giggle or a light punch to the chest.   
  
Who cared what Tony thought? Like Clint said, they were bros.   


//   
  
“This is weird.”   
  
“No, it isn’t.”   
  
“It absolutely is, Clint, what the fuck.” Tony protested, crossing his arms and tilting his head towards the pair of people on the couch with an exasperated sigh. Clint was sitting on the couch, spread out with one leg hanging off the edge and a sleeping super soldier splayed out on his chest. Said super soldier murmured something indistinguishable in his sleep and nuzzled into Clint’s chest some more, metal hand coming up to tangle in his purple hoodie.   
  
“Shut up already, you’re gonna wake him up,” Clint mumbled irritatedly, absentmindedly stroking a hand through Bucky’s hair in a soothing motion before glaring at Tony. “I happen to know he’s heavily armed and has at least fourteen more weapons hidden around this room, and I don’t think he’ll appreciate it too much if someone disturbs him,” he finished lowly, tone offset by the soft movement of his hand on Bucky’s head.   
  
Tony just chuckled and threw his hands up in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, sheesh! I’m just wondering why the hell Barnes is sleeping on you when everyone knows he can hardly even do that with Cap around.”   
  
“We’re friends too, you know,” Clint replied somewhat defensively, because yeah, obviously he couldn’t compare to the whole best-friends-from-the-40s thing Steve and Bucky had going on, but even if they weren’t as close it’s not like Clint was a  _ total _ stranger, or anything.   
  
Tony stared at him for a long moment before nodding minutely, looking as if he had just solved a complex equation in his head, and smirked. “Friends, huh? Alright Katniss, whatever you say,” he settled on saying at last before walking away, never once wiping the self satisfied smile off his face.   
  
Yeah, and  _ Clint _ was the one acting strange.   
  
//   
  
Making his way up to Bucky and Steve’s floor at the tower, Clint groans to himself, rubbing his temples. God, his head hurt. He should have known that agreeing to test out the new arrows Tony had made him in his workshop all day would mean he also had to listen to him ramble like an overexcited child all day. So caught up in the possibility of new toys, it had totally slipped his mind.   
  
It seemed that Tony’s new favourite subject to spurt nonsense about was Clint and Bucky’s unexpected kinship, and Jesus Christ almighty was it annoying to have the genius bugging and teasing him all day over it. The relationship was so not weird. They were bros! Close bros!   
  
“The asshole makes some cool fucking arrows, though,” he mumbled to himself, stepping out of the elevator into the shared living room of Steve and Bucky.   
  
Seeing a familiar head of dark brown hair peeking over the top of the couch, Clint didn’t hesitate to throw himself dramatically on top of the super soldier, head landing in his lap as he let out a melodramatic sigh, “I hate Tony so much oh my god.”   
  
“Me too,” Bucky didn’t hesitate to reply, reaching back to grab a blanket and drape it over Clint’s legs and pausing the movie he had been watching (Steve had given him a list of all the Disney movies that had been released since the 40s, and he was slowly making his way through them). “What did he do?”   
  
“Ugh,” Clint twisted to he could see Bucky’s face from his position, “nothing really, was just a bit extra Tony, y’know?”   
  
“Mmm,” Bucky said, “Do I need to kill him for ya?” He snuck his flesh hand to tangle in Clint’s hair, massaging the blond tufts.   
  
“Ahhh, that feels good,” Clint sighed, “and no, please don’t kill him. He makes me fancy toys.” His headache was leaving him already, and he felt himself melt into Bucky’s warmth as the gentle mensurations continued against his scalp.   
  
“I guess he can stay then,” replied Bucky softly, before turning back on the T.V. and resuming the movie.   
  
“Robin Hood? Really?” Clint groaned.   
  
“Reminds me of you. Plus, you can always leave. This is my floor after all...”   
  
“Nooooo...” Hiking the blanket up even further with the hand that wasn’t trapped beneath him, Clint whispered, “I can’t leave, I’m too busy being asleep, sorry.”   
  
He felt more than heard the vibrations of Bucky’s laugh, and his last thought before dozing off was that maybe Tony was a little bit right after all.   
  
//   
  
“Not a word, Stark. Not one. Fucking. Word.”   
  
“B-but-“ the man in question spluttered, wide eyes blinking owlishly at Bucky, who was carrying a large, steaming pizza box in one hand and pot of coffee in the other, with a happy one eyed golden dog trailing behind him, following the scent of pizza.   
  
Stark was still staring at him, saying something about how dogs weren’t allowed in the tower, but Bucky didn’t care. Clint was having a bad day, and Bucky was completely willing to kill anyone who gets in the way of him helping the archer feel better. Armed with all the necessities, Bucky pushed past Stark towards the elevator, ignoring his sounds of protest.

The elevator brought him to the top floor in seconds, a feat that still unnerved Bucky a little, no matter how many times it happens. He stepped out the second the doors opened, and Lucky followed behind him, having no trouble keeping up with the quick pace he set.

“Hey, Clint, I’m back. Could you open the door? My hands are full.” He called, kicking the door lightly.

The door opened a few seconds later to reveal a tired looking Clint with a blanket draped over his shoulders that Bucky had put there before he left to get Lucky. Said dog immediately tackled Clint upon seeing him, and the archer managed a small smile as Lucky licked his face and bracketed his head with his fluffy paws. “Alright, alright, I missed you too, you dumb dog.”

Bucky smiles at the sight (it was cute, okay?) and moved past the two to walk into the cluttered living room and place the coffee and pizza down on the coffee table in front of the battered couch Clint had dragged over from his Bed Stuy apartment (much to Stark’s chagrin). We walked back over to the entryway, offering Clint a hand up and then steadying him when he swayed a little.

Bucky frowned. “How much have you eaten today, sweetheart?” 

“Uh, y’know, a normal bit.”

“Oh yeah?” Bucky asked, not believing him for a second, “What did you have?” Clint pauses, looking sideways at him sheepishly. He didn’t answer.

  
Sighing, Bucky helped him over to sit on the couch, Lucky flopping onto Clint’s lap the minute he sat down. “Good thing I brought Pizza, idiot.”

Clint smiled at him, a little broken and sad around the edges. He was running a hand through Lucky’s golden fur, who snuffled happily. “Thanks,” he said, unnecessarily, like Bucky wouldn’t do anything for this chaotic dork. Grabbing a dog and some pizza was nothing compared to the lengths he would go to for the beautiful, amazing man in front of him, whom he loved so much sometimes it hurt to breathe.

He didn’t say that, though. Instead, he kissed his forehead (Clint didn’t even stutter out a halfhearted “bro” at the gesture like he usually would), passed him a slice of pizza and said, “No problem.”

//

“You know you don’t have to do this, right? Like, we all know you’re getting better, you don’t have to-“   
  
“Clint, shut up. I want to be  _ me _ again. this has nothing to do with anyone else, I’m just sick of looking in the mirror and seeing  _ him _ .”   
  
Clint sighed, raising the scissors to eye level. “Okay Buck, but if you feel like you want to stop at any point, just tell me, okay?”    
  
Leaning his head against Clint’s side, Bucky closed his eyes and nodded. “I trust you,” he said, and oh boy, if that didn’t make Clint feel all sorts of non-bro kind of feelings. It’s fine though, he’d just repress those like any other bro would.   
  
He cleared his throat. “Well, you’ll have to stop leaning on me so I can do this properly,” Clint pointed out as he nudged Bucky off his side. The brunet was sitting atop a stool they had dragged into the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his shoulders.   
  
Now, before jumping to conclusions about the irresponsibility of one Clint Barton, know that he had informed FRIDAY of what was going on, and she was prepped to send an emergency alarm out to Steve and the rest of the Avengers if Bucky were to revert into his brainwashed self. Clint tried to convince him to see a real hairdresser, but the stubborn bastard refused to have anyone near his head with scissors except Clint, which, okay, was a little flattering, he had to admit.   
  
Scissors at the ready, the archer made the first cut, sending hair tumbling to the ground. “Still good?” He asked.   
  
“Yeah Clint, all good,” Bucky replied, smiling up at him, seeming relieved even himself that he hadn’t had a panic attack or tried to stab the blond.   
  
With permission granted and confidence reinstated, Clint finished cutting the rest of his hair with ease, slipping back into the practiced motions built up over years of trimming Barney’s hair when they were kids at the circus.   
  
“All done!” He announced soon enough, tugging the towel off Bucky’s shoulders with a dramatic flourish and taking an exaggerated bow. When he looked back up, it was to see Bucky looking at himself thoughtfully in the mirror, checking the back with a handheld one. It wasn’t much, as Clint was no hairstylist, but he thought it turned out decent enough considering. He had kept it a bit longer on the top so that his hair flopped over his forehead, but the sides were relatively short like he’d seen in those old pictures of the Howling Commandos from the 40s.   
  
“Is it... okay?” Clint asked, annoyed when his voice came out uncharacteristically nervous sounding.   
  
Instead of an answer, Clint was suddenly surrounded by warmth and strong arms pulling him into a bone crushing hug. “ _ Thank you _ ,” Bucky whispered in his ear, breath fanning across his neck and making him shiver involuntarily.   
  
“Hey, anytime bro,” Clint answered lamely, cursing himself and only just managing to refrain from whimpering when Bucky pulled away to smile brightly at him.   
  
“C’mon  _ bro _ , I wanna show Stevie!”   
  
Clint didn’t even care that he was being mocked, could only focus on how nice it felt when Bucky grabbed his hand to tug him out into the hall, and how he didn’t let go all through showing Steve and the rest of the team his new cut, not caring that Tony was gaping like an idiot at their joined hands the whole time.   


//   
  
Bucky was lounging in the common area with Natalia, doing a whole lot of nothing and chatting idly to pass the time. Their shared experiences and pasts with Hydra was what first brought them together, but eventually they developed a relationship closer to genuine friendship rather than just proximity out of emotional necessity. Bucky may not have been as close to her as Steve or Clint, but she was nice to talk to.   
  
“Okay, but seriously James, I need to make sure you know that as much as I like you, I will not hesitate to kill you if you hurt Clint.”   
  
Surprised, Bucky stared at her incredulously. “I would  _ never _ hurt Clint why would you think-“

“Emotionally counts too James. I don’t want you leaving him heartbroken. He can’t go through that again.”

“Wait, what do you mean again? And heartbroken? What? I wouldn’t ever break his heart, it’s not mind to begin with!

Natalia sighed. “It is though, isn’t it? I mean, I’d expect this type of obliviousness from Clint, but you? You call him ridiculously outdated pet names, you cuddle with him every movie night, and you physically light up every times he enters a room. The whole ordeal is disgustingly romantic, and that’s only what you do around us, not in private. Haven’t you noticed that you’re practically dating?”

Bucky stood up quickly, pausing the chair he was sitting on behind him. “We’re  _ what _ ?”

“Dating, идиот.” She said, partially fond but mostly exasperated. “You didn’t know?”

“I’ve gotta find Clint,” was all he said before fleeing the room, leaving Natasha to shake her head at no one in particular at how remarkably dense her boys could be.

-

Clint was trying to fold laundry in his bedroom and be a functioning adult for once in his life (he’d folded two pairs of jeans and was currently googling how to fold a shirt so it doesn’t get all weird and small like it does whoever Clint tries) when Bucky burst through his door and stood, panting and catching his breath, in front of him.

“Uh, hi?” Clint said, setting down the t-shirt he was working on. “You okay?”

“Are we dating?” Bucky blurted out, looking as shocked as Clint felt at his own words.

Clint struggles to regain the ability to speak. “Do-do you want to be?” He asked, hoping his face wasn’t giving too much away about how that particular thought made him feel.

Bucky looked exasperated, “Well, obviously, but you knew that-“

“Sorry,  _ what _ ?” Clint gaped.

There was a pause. “...I haven’t exactly been subtle Clint,” Bucky replied, sounding confused. “Natalia thinks the only part missing is us knowing.”

Clint’s mind was reeling, “What, so we’ve been dating this whole time? Is that what you’re saying?”

“I- Well I guess. Is that- well, do you wanna be?” Bucky asked. Clint jumped forward off his bed, grabbing Bucky’s face between his palms and kissing him firmly in reply, because  _ holy fuck yes _ . It wasn’t a good first kiss, if he was honest. Well, it was great, obviously, because it was Bucky, but Clint’s haste caused their teeth to knock and their noses to mash together awkwardly. 

Bucky pulled away, laughing airily, “Let’s try that again.” He put both hands on Clint’s waist, reeling him in closer and tilting his head up to meet Clint’s to get a better angle. 

Their lips only met for a second before Clint pulled away suddenly, catching Bucky off guard and making him sway a little and grumble his displeasure. “Wha-“

“Does this mean you’re my boyfriend?” Clint interrupted eagerly, grin wide on his face as his hands tangled into Bucky’s recently cut hair.

Bucky chuckled, “Yeah sweetheart, if that’s alright with you?” Clint nodded earnestly, unable to contain the excitement bubbling up inside him as he kissed his  _ boyfriend _ soundly.

Man, Tony was going to be absolutely unbearable.

**Author's Note:**

> идиот: idiot (but you could have guessed that)
> 
> one day i’ll scrounge up enough commitment to write a longer, multi-chapter fic but today is not that day.  
> also can you tell i’m weak for bucky calling clint sweetheart yet?


End file.
